For many years the transportation industry and other industries have been concerned with designing reinforced structural members that do not add significantly to the weight of a vehicle or other article. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,755,486; 4,901,500; and 4,751,249 describe prior art reinforcing devices. While these prior art devices may be advantageous in some circumstances, difficulties may be encountered when reinforcement materials or members are used in conjunction with fasteners, fastening assemblies or other like devices. For example, and without limitation, some reinforcement materials change physical states (e.g., soften) during manufacture of articles (e.g., automotive vehicles) thereby causing the reinforcement materials to expand, contract, flow or the like. In turn, these changes can have detrimental effects on devices such as fasteners, which are being used to assemble, or fasten members together or otherwise function within the articles. Thus, there is a need for a method and assembly for reinforcing structural members wherein the functions of other devices such as fasteners that accompany the structural members remain substantially unaffected or enhanced.
In the automotive industry, in particular, there is a need for a relatively low cost method and assembly for reinforcing automotive pillar structures in a vehicle wherein the method and assembly accommodates or includes one or more fasteners or fastening assemblies that are assembled to the pillar structures.